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Don Towsley (animator)

{{Short description|American animator (1912-1986)}}

{{Infobox person

| name=Donald F. Towsley

| birth_date={{Birth date|1912|5|11|mf=y}}

| birth_place=Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

| death_date={{Death date and age|1986|11|25|1912|5|11|mf=y}}

| death_place=Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| occupation=animator, director

}}

Don Towsley (May 11, 1912 – November 25, 1986) was an animator working at Walt Disney Animation Studios,{{cite book |last1=Massen |first1=Michael |title=The Artist's Guide to Drawing the Clothed Figure: A Complete Resource on Rendering Clothing and Drapery |date=2011 |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |isbn=9780823001194 |page=208 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQFwDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22don+towsley%22+disney&pg=PA208 |accessdate=16 May 2020}} and later at MGM and Filmation.

Career

Starting out at Disney, Towsley worked on three shorts in the Silly Symphony series, animating the band in The Cookie Carnival (1935), a scene of dancing hens ultimately cut from Cock o' the Walk (1935), and the introduction and opening scene of Donald's Better Self (1938).{{cite book |last1=Merritt |first1=Russell |last2=Kaufman |first2=J.B. |title=Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series |date=2016 |publisher=Disney Editions |isbn=978-1-4847-5132-9|pages=163, 171, 222}} In 1938, Towsley became the main animator for the Donald Duck short films, following Fred Spencer's death.{{cite book |last1=Ghez |first1=Didier |title=Walt's People : Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him, Volume 9 |date=2010 |publisher=Xlibris |isbn=978-1-4500-8746-9 |page=306 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zOzpwaDTR2wC&q=%22Don+towsley%22+animator&pg=PA306 |accessdate=16 May 2020}}

Towsley contributed to the 1940 film Pinocchio, as part of the team responsible for Jiminy Cricket and Monstro the Whale.{{cite news |last1=Blowen |first1=Michael |title=Pinocchio Carves a Special Space in Film |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/437669292/?terms=%22don%2Btowsley%22%2Bdisney |accessdate=16 May 2020 |work=The Boston Globe |date=December 20, 1984 |page=110}} He also animated the "Pastoral Symphony" segment of the 1940 film Fantasia.{{cite book |last1=Culhane |first1=John |title=Walt Disney's Fantasia |date=1999 |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |isbn=9780810980785 |page=138}}

In 1943, Towsley, along with a team of animators, contributed to a wartime animated short film titled Der Fuehrer's Face produced by Walt Disney.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gg9nAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Don+Towsley%22+animator|title=Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945|last1=Shull|first1=Michael S.|last2=Shull|first2=Michael|last3=Wilt|first3=David E.|date=1987|publisher=McFarland & Co|isbn=9780899502182 |accessdate=June 7, 2020}}

In 1948, after leaving the Disney studio, Towsley created a line of children's wallpaper cutouts, featuring images of animals.{{cite news |last1=Riebeth |first1=Rome |title=Decal Menagerie |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/182943290/?terms=%22don%2Btowsley%22%2Bdisney |accessdate=16 May 2020 |work=Minneapolis Star-Tribune |date=August 22, 1948 |page=14}}{{cite news |last1=Youse |first1=Olive |title=Cheery Child's Room Created with Cut Outs: Animal Figures Cavort on Wallpaper |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/370858600/?terms=%22don%2Btowsley%22%2Bdisney |accessdate=16 May 2020 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=April 10, 1949 |page=82}}

In the 1960s, Towsley worked for MGM's Tom and Jerry series, including animation work on 1965's Haunted Mouse.{{cite book |last1=Hallenbeck |first1=Bruce G. |title=Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008 |date=2009 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=9780786453788 |page=234}}

Towsley joined the Filmation animation studio in 1968 as an associate director.{{cite book |last1=Scheimer |first1=Lou |last2=Mangels |first2=Andy|title=Creating the Filmation Generation |date=2012 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1-60549-044-1 |pages=61–62}} He directed episodes of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972–1974), My Favorite Martians (1973–1975), The New Adventures of Gilligan (1974–1977), The U.S. of Archie (1974–1976), The New Adventures of Batman (1977), Sabrina, Super Witch (1977–1978) and The New Adventures of Flash Gordon (1979–1980), among others.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=91, 114, 322, 331, 573, 583, 702}} He also directed a sequence in Filmation's 1972 film, Journey Back to Oz.{{cite book |last1=McCall |first1=Douglas L. |title=Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=9781476609669 |page=40}}

Films worked on

= 1930s =

= 1940s =

= 1960s =

= 1970s and 1980s =

References

External links

  • {{IMDb name|0870245}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Towsley, Don}}

Category:1912 births

Category:1986 deaths

Category:American animators

Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people

Category:Hanna-Barbera people

Category:Artists from Milwaukee